Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for March 31

02:45 PM EDT, 03/31/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index rose to 91.8 in March from a 91.0 reading in February due to a gain in the present situation that was partially offset by a decrease in the expectations index.

The Conference Board noted that consumer confidence has been on a downward trend since 2021 and that the improvement in March came despite increased concerns about inflation because of the conflict in Iran.

The Dallas Fed's services reading fell to minus 13.3 in March from minus 3.2 in February.

The FHFA home price index posted a 0.1% gain in January after a larger 0.3% increase in December. The index was 1.6% higher than a year ago.

Released at the same time, S&P Case-Shiller reported a 0.1% January home price decline, up from 0.3% drop in December. The index was up 0.9% year-over-year, down from the 1.1% rate in the previous month.

February job openings and hiring data showed a deterioration from the previous month, while layoffs increased and the number of people quitting declined.

The Chicago PMI fell to 52.8 in March from 57.7 in February, the last regional manufacturing reading for the month. The ISM's national index is due to be released on Wednesday.

Redbook reported that US same-store retail sales were up 6.9% year-over-year in the week ended March 28, faster than a 6.7% gain in the prior week due to deals on spring seasonal items.

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